Taipei launches Universiade ad

By Mo Yan-chih / Staff reporter

Sat, Dec 01, 2012 - Page 3

The Taipei City Government yesterday unveiled its first international promotion video for the 2017 Summer Universiade and defended the use of millions of New Taiwan dollars to promote the global sports event.

The 60-second video, which features top-ranked female golfer Yani Tseng (曾雅妮) and Chang Yu-han (張宇涵), this year’s Most Valuable Player in Taiwan’s Women’s High School Basketball League, will be broadcast this month in 134 countries and areas, including the US, Europe, Japan and South Korea, with a promotional budget of NT$70 million (US$2.4 million).

Taipei Deputy Mayor Timothy Ting (丁庭宇), who heads the preparatory committee for the event, said the Universiade is the second-largest sports event after the Summer Olympics, and the city government will launch more commercials and activities to promote it.

He dismissed concerns about the city government’s investment to promote the event long before it will be held, but said the city would make an effort to economize given the city’s financial difficulties.

“This year’s promotion budget was approved by the city council in June. However, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) has instructed the city team to consider the overall economic situation next year, and we will cooperate if the city council wants us to lower the budget for next year,” he said at Taipei City Hall.

Taipei City Department of Tourism and Information Commissioner Chao Shin-pin (趙心屏) said the commercial would be broadcast in major media outlets, including CNN, and advertisements would be posted in the New York Times and other international newspapers next month.

“It’s never too early to start city promotion, and the NT$70 million will be well spent, as we expect the international promotions to reach tens of millions of people around the world,” she said.

Taipei City Councilor Wu Su-yao (吳思瑤) of the Democratic Progressive Party slammed the city government for ignoring concerns about the budget expense for the sports event, adding that pan-blue politicians dominate the city council.

“There haven’t been major promotions for the 2013 Universiade in Kazan, Russia, yet Taipei can’t wait to begin international promotion of the event in 2017 with the huge budget that the pan-blue councilors used their majority to approve,” she said.